Site MapHelpFeedbackChapter Summary
Chapter Summary
(See related pages)

Karl Weick’s Organizational Information Theory has been identified as a powerful theoretical framework for explaining how organizations make sense of the information they receive for their existence. The theory draws from other theoretical perspectives that explain the processes that organizations undergo to receive input from others. Weick emphasized the importance of human interaction in information processing; thus, communication is a central focus of his theory. The primary idea is that organizations are not simply structures but are, instead, continually transforming and changing entities created by organizational members. The theory follows along the lines of systems thinking (see Chapter 3), and in fact Eric Eisenberg and H. L. Goodall (2004) believe that the theory has “reinvigorated” Systems Theory (p. 107). Among the criteria relevant to evaluating theory, we identify three for discussion: utility, heurism, and logical consistency.

Utility

The theory’s utility is underscored by its focus on the communication process, a topic we explored in Chapter 1. Organizational Information Theory focuses on the process of communication rather than on the role of communicators themselves. This is of great benefit in understanding how members of an organization engage in collaborative efforts with both internal and external environments to understand the information they receive. Rather than attempt to understand the people in an organization-and their unpredictability-Weick decides to unravel the complexities of information processing, which makes this a more useful theoretical undertaking.

Heurism

Organizational Information Theory is heuristic and has prompted considerable scholarly discussion. In fact, Weick (2003) has edited a collection of scholarly articles examining his theory. Specifically, the theory has inspired thinking and research in negotiation (Putnam, 1989), organizational cooperation (Eisenberg, 1995), organizational learning (Weick & Westley, 1996), and ­organizational roles (Miller, Joseph, & Apker, 2000). Charles Bantz (1989) observed that in terms of Weick’s influence on research overall, “it is not surprising that a variety of scholars picked up the organizing concept directly from Weick or integrated it into their on-going research” (p. 233). Weick clearly was influential in the work of organizational communication scholars.

Logical Consistency

Recall that theories must make sense and make clear the concepts under discussion. Weick’s theory seems to fail the test of logical consistency. One prevailing criticism pertains to the belief that people are guided by rules in an organization. Yet organizational scholars note that “we puzzle and mull over, fret and stew over, and generally select, manipulate, and transform meaning to come up with an interpretation of a situation” (Daniels, Spiker, & Papa, 1997, p. 52). In other words, some organizational members may have little interest in the communication rules in place at work. Individuals are not always so conscious or precise in their selection procedures, and their actions may have more to do with their intuition than with organizational rules. As employees become more immersed in the organizational milieu, they may be guided more by instinct if that instinct is accurate, ethical, and thoughtful.

An additional criticism underscoring the problems of logical consistency is that Organizational Information Theory views organizations as static units in society (Taylor & Van Every, 2000). These researchers challenge Weick’s view by noting that “at no point are inherent contradictions in organizational structure and process even remotely evoked” (p. 275) in his research. Organizations have ongoing tensions, and these need to be identified and examined in light of Weick’s claims. Further, given the dynamic changes in organizations due to corporate mergers, downsizing, offshore outsourcing of employee work, and the evolution of technology, static or frozen assessments of organizations is shortsighted.








Introducing Communication TheoOnline Learning Center

Home > Chapter 17 > Chapter Summary